ThOuGhTs

Hot Dog!

For me, the happiest moment in my life was having two kids: my 4 year-old son who enjoys school and racing with almost everyone, and my youngest is my 11 month-old who just loves to run around, be rubbed in the belly, hates to be washed and doesn't even bark when he's inside the house. Oh, I should warn you- he is a dog.

While some of you are scratching your heads from thinking I may be losing it, I just happen to be very proud of my pooch. And let me tell you, he's no ordinary dog. He has a remarkable trait that no one else would ever imagine.

It all started when my darling brother was playing basketball around August of last year. He was in the midst of making a shot when he saw the dog walking around looking for food. He stopped and approached it to see if it has a dog tag. There was none. Long story short, he went from house to house but nobody claimed it. Sad to say he was abandoned for good. So my brother became a good samaritan and took it home with him. I came home after a few hours and saw a very nice looking and friendly dog laying next to our couch.

I was a wee bit excited to tell my boyfriend about him. And I also sent my brother to buy some dog food. I felt so bad for the poor thing because he just had this sad face like he wanted to cry. All you can see from him is pain from being treated that way. Here's a picture of him still looking startled with his new environment:



When you look at him, don't you just wanna saw 'aaawwww'? Of course you do. So, the next few days we figured out what to do with him. I also showed him to my boyfriend. I have to say he's the reason why I am happier: for telling me to keep him. It was all worth it, despite of my fights with my other brother simply because he was against the idea. To summarize that part: I kept him and fought for my decision until luck was on my side- my aunt needed someone to take care of grandma. That was my chance.

My move was a bittersweet moment for me because I finally had privacy. But my aunt bugged me for how many times to get rid of him. She doesn't want him in the backyard just because of grandma's health and the swimming pool. But I tried to enjoy it for our sake. In fact, here's another picture that I am very proud to share:



My son just adored him like his own baby brother. I remember once hearing him laugh because of what my dog was doing. God knows what he was doing but it sure worked for my son while being on a trip. There are times when he would sit on the driver's seat and would not move. Other times when I wake up in the middle of the night for a bathroom break, he would seize the opportunity and lay in my spot:



The next thing I know is that I look like an idiot looking for another vacant spot so I could go back to sleep.

I had to say he is something else. He is not only funny but can be emotional at times. I recall seeing him so sad when I took my son to my dad's house so he can babysit while I went out with my friends. I brought him with us. So I got into my dad's and dropped my son off. When I went back in the car alone, everything seemed to be normal until when we got home. All of a sudden, he laid next to the couch and never left the spot. I thought he was just tired. I left and enjoyed the night, and to my surprise, I came home and found him still in the same spot. I noticed his food was untouched and his water bowl was still full. I got a little worried. The next day I had to pick up my son and when we came home, my dog just got up and welcomed him like he hasn't seen his 'brother' for ages. And then he started eating. You think that dogs don't feel anything?

And since then we just enjoyed being with him. Every moment for all of us is a story to tell. As a matter of fact, there are times when I can't tell them apart:



Do you even see the difference? Same grumpy look and both laying in the grass almost the same way. It's just nuts! But I couldn't care less. They just bring joy into my world every single day. I haven't seen a dog like that. He is just good with everyone especially with kids. Once in the park, we let him loose. The other kids just went crazy because my dog was running away from them like he was saying "catch me if you can". There was even a time when he humped my leg while I was doing my push-ups. Weird, adorable, funny, sweet, you name it. And by the way, his name is Buddy. Beautiful name for a beautiful animal.

posted by kate buenconsejo @ 9:18 PM 2 Comments

New Year full of Oh dear..

14-Jan-08: My son and I went to see my dad and also to get his gifts for us from Manila. When we got there, I was happy to see that he came back in one bigger piece: I hate to admit he gained some weight from eating the native food he simply can't find anywhere else, especially the way he likes it cooked. But that didn't matter to him when he saw his grandson, his one and only for the moment.

To his excitement in telling his experiences , he was screaming like I have a hearing aid on me. And that was just the beginning. He took out bags full of pictures, shirts, books, and other stuffs that we can only buy there. And his voice became higher to the point that I blushed from embarrassment thinking neighbors might think we are having a fight or something. And what's worse, my brothers came too. Go figure.

I saw pictures of him when he was young. Right there I knew I had to ask him how he wooed my mom. I asked not because I didn't want to offend him, but for us to have a laugh. He gave me a heads-up look and cleared his throat proudly. It also crushed my heart to talk about my mom. I am darn sure it would have been more fun and louder with her being there with us. I remember back then when they talk: they sounded like they were in a competition. The louder you talk the better.

I have to admit moving to a far away place has its advantages. For a start, I had peace waking up the next day without having to trip on a pile of shirts laying around. Second, I had privacy by having my own room. But the disadvantages seemed to weigh more than I expected. Like my room has no lock. Thank God some of the people here knows that knocking and then asking if you could come in is a very nice etiquette. My aunt wasn't one of them. I hate to say it because it breaks my heart to talk about someone who I can almost call as my mom. Secondly, my love life isn't much private anymore because she told some people without asking me first if she could. What the hell?! And lastly, it takes me about an hour to go and see the rest of my family, including the love of my life.

But then I still thank God for making me and my son healthy, and helping me go home in one piece ; sometimes thinner and sometimes rather bigger. Hey, I'm only human. Mind you, losing weight isn't the first one on the list of my New Year's resolution. What is it then? Here are some of the resolutions that I promised to do:

1. Quit smoking. I am an occasional smoker. I can honestly remember having 10 sticks for the whole 2007. Last one was 31-Dec-2007, in the balcony of our old apartment which took us a solid 2 months just to empty it. How the crap got in there without making the floor collapse is beyond me. While smoking my last I figured that it would be the last stick that I would allow to ruin my life. What a relief to throw the cigarette butt on the roof of the building next to us. Don't worry, I poured water on it. No need to panic.

2. Become a strict vegetarian. This is still on the works. Believe me; it's so hard. How can someone resist a deliciously-grilled salmon, especially when you share it with the one you love? Or shrimp being enjoyed by my adorable 4-year old rascal? I remember the very first time I became a semi-vegan on the 30th of June 2007. It's like I can see meat having this logo of a skull with a big black x-mark in front of it. I guess I can work on imagining the logo being stamped on the salmon as well, especially when it's Alaskan Wild with a little of olive oil and some herbs and rice pilaf....what the heck! Who says I am gonna be a strict vegan?

3. Get my act together. I'm not losing a screw on my brain yet. But I'm freaking 27 years old. I am still in a position of being incapable of helping someone let alone myself. I always imagine having a nice house and a car. You know what's funny? They've been my dream since I was 6. It's still a dream to this day, not knowing when to make this a reality. If I don't do anything, then the screw might just go mad and leave my brain without realizing it.

Despite of the fact that I'm just like the rest of the world with struggles in life that never seemed to end, I'm glad that I still have my family and friends to help me cheer up. They may not have that much but at least the funny stories are on them. And the best of all is the love of my life. That particular person is someone that can make me proudly say "Est. 25-April-2005 and still counting..."

posted by kate buenconsejo @ 7:28 PM 1 Comments